– November 30th, 2012 by Amazjah Grant –

Women’s basketball looks to right ship after sluggish start

Colby-Sawyer College women’s basketball team consists of 17 talented and hard working women. They are student-athletics who take their studies just as seriously as the game they play. They know what is important and you can see that when they play.

Ashley Fruzzetti, a junior and returning player, used the word “Love” to describe the game that she plays. She says, “It’s the sport that keeps me sane and pushes me to reach for my high goals.”

This season, as compared to last season, has been difficult through the early going. Such difficulty can be attributed to the fact that the Chargers began this season by losing their first three games of the season. Such losses were uncharacteristic of a team that usually starts off strong seeing as how in the previous two seasons they had won their first three games.

Before the season began the team was picked in the annual NAC preseason poll to win the NAC title with receiving seven first place votes according to an athletic press release. The team were picked to be the odds on favorites by many coaches within the conference because the Chargers are a veteran deep team by returning nine players overall and each of the team’s five starters were returning.

The women’s team felt that going into the season heading into the Thanksgiving break that they would be 3-0, however that was not the case. It took the team four chances to finally crack into the win column, and they went into the win column with a recent win over Norwich University.

When talking about the team’s opening woes Fruzzetti blamed them on the fact that they weren’t settled into their game yet, and in her estimation all they needed do was to slow down the game in their heads.

Such advice seemed to pay off when the team played Norwich as it seemed to those in the stands, and out on the court that after they slowed it down, they played the tempo they wanted and played their game. Such a development allowed that team to play more of their style of play and allowed them, rather than their opponents, dictate the pace of game.

Coach George Martin said that the season was going “Much better after tonight” when characterizing the season this far. Martin and company know that the team has a lot of potential, and the man knows what his team needs to work on should they want to be successful down the road.

Martin is confident that his team is going to have a great season despite the early struggles that can tend to have an effect of bringing a team together just ask many NBA teams that typically start off sluggish but hit their stride when it matters—that being the middle of the season and heading into the postseason. Ask any NBA coach and nine times out of ten the coaches would rather start off slow and heat up as the arduous season plays out rather than start off sizzling hot only to peter out under the bright lights of championships basketball.

The women know that this is only the beginning and that there is more to come. They are counting on the fact that supporters of the team will be surprised of what you see in the near future for this team.